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Biomedical subjects

E Pasztor

Publications and source records attributed to E Pasztor.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Treatment of cystic craniopharyngiomas with yttrium-90 colloid solution.

The authors analyzed long-term follow-up data to assess the value of intracavitary irradiation with stereotactically implanted beta-emitting radioisotope (90)Y-silicate colloid for the treatment of craniopharyngiomas. Fifty-seven craniopharyngiomas in 42 patients were selected for retrospective analysis. The yttrium-90 was implanted intracavitally, using computerized tomography-guided and three-dimensional stereotactic treatment planning. The cumulative dose aimed at the inner surface of the cyst wall was 300 Gy. An average of 75% shrinkage of the initial cyst volume was observed. In 18 cases the reduction was more than 91%, and the cyst disappeared totally in 11 cases. A 50% decrease in cyst volume was usually apparent between the 2nd and 4th months. A 70% decrease in cyst volume was seen by the 5th and 6th months and an 80% reduction by the 7th and 8th months. Cysts that were unchanged remained so throughout the observation period. The time course of volume reduction could be expressed mathematically by the formula of 0.73 X e(-0.62 X T) + 0.27, where "e" is the basic number of natural logarithm and "T" is the time expressed in months. Mean survival duration after intracavitary irradiation was 9.4 years. The shrinkage of the cyst was a consequence of fibrosis of the wall, as seen on histopathological examination. The neuroophthalmological prognosis was favorable only when the optic disc was normal or nearly normal at the time of the treatment. In the presence of preexisting optic atrophy, visual deterioration proved to be irreversible. The long-term results support the view that intracavitary (90)Y-irradiation is a noninvasive and very effective method of treatment for craniopharyngioma cysts. Because of the 1.1 mm half-life decay of beta irradiation, it cannot influence the solid part of the tumor; therefore, the best result can be expected in solitary cysts.

Journal Article↗

Differential sympathetic reactions during cerebral ischaemia in cats: the role of desynchronized nerve discharge.

1. Sympathetic nerve discharge (SND) of three postganglionic nerves with different functions and anatomical locations was simultaneously recorded at rest and during severe cerebral ischaemia (Cushing reaction). The three nerves, controlling the heart (inferior cardiac nerve), visceral (renal nerve) and skeletal muscle circulation (vertebral nerve), were selected with the assumption that their activity pattern will represent the differential central autonomic command to the major players of the circulatory response to cerebral ischaemia. 2. Changes in the power density spectra of the nerve signals, and in the pairwise coherence functions, elicited by the cerebral ischaemia, were evaluated separately for the rhythmic (R-SND, i.e. between 0 and 6 Hz) and high-frequency (HF-SND, i.e. between 12 and 100 Hz) components of the nerve signals. 3. The sympathetic nerve response to cerebral ischaemia developed in two phases. Phase 1 was a massive R-SND reaction and phase 2 was characterized by SND desynchronization and by the emergence of HF-SND. The power of HF-SND occupied a wide band between 12 and 80 Hz with maximum between 20 and 30 Hz. All three nerves were involved in the Cushing response but the magnitude and character of the reactions were specific for each nerve. In the cardiac nerve, the power of the rhythmic component of the discharge increased almost twice the control and remained dominant during the whole reaction, strongly modulating HF-SND during the second phase. In the vasomotor nerves, R-SND was suppressed during phase 2 and HF-SND occupied 65% of the total power of the signal. Near equal R- to HF-SND proportions, however, were reached on different activity levels in renal and vertebral nerves. Whereas total renal SND did not change, the power of the vertebral SND increased more than twice. In addition, desynchronization in the vertebral SND was preceded by a massive R-SND reaction during phase 1, which was missing in the renal nerve. 4. For all possible nerve pairs, R-SND was highly coherent before the reaction and remained so during intracranial pressure elevation, regardless of the direction and magnitude of the changes in absolute and/or relative power of this component in different nerves. On the other hand, HF-SND never correlated between any of the nerve pairs indicating that this component in each nerve originated from specific sources of regional sympathetic activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

Regulatory interactions among axon terminals affecting the release of different transmitters from rat striatal slices under hypoxic and hypoglycemic conditions.

An in vitro model of ischemia was utilized to study the effects of both oxygen and glucose depletion on transmitter release from rat striatal slices. The spontaneous and stimulation-evoked releases of tritiated dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamate, and acetylcholine were measured. Hypoxia increased the evoked release of glutamate and dopamine without effect on the resting release. In contrast, hypoglycemia itself increased the resting release of dopamine. Hypoxia in combination with hypoglycemia provoked a massive release of glutamate, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid. The effect on acetylcholine release was less pronounced. Ca2+ withdrawal partly reduced the effect of hypoxia combined with hypoglycemia on dopamine release and application of tetrodotoxin (1 microM) abolished it. MK-801 (3 microM), an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, attenuated the effect of hypoxia and hypoglycemia on [3H]dopamine release. omega-Conotoxin (0.1 microM) had a similar effect on stimulation-evoked release under a hypoxic condition. The D2 receptor antagonist sulpiride (100 microM) failed to enhance the release of [3H]acetylcholine in hypoxia combined with hypoglycemia. It was suggested that in response to hypoxia combined with hypoglycemia there is a massive release of glutamate due to the increased firing rate which in turn releases dopamine from the axon terminals through stimulation of presynaptic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. Dopaminergic inhibitory control on ACh release seems not to be operative under conditions of hypoxia combined with hypoglycemia.

Animals↗

Effect of preexisting brain ischemia on sympathetic nerve response to intracranial hypertension.

The performance of the sympathetic nervous system during sustained moderate cerebral ischemia (CI) was examined in the present study. For this purpose, a Cushing response was elicited repeatedly during incomplete global CI in anesthetized artificially ventilated cats after vagotomy and baroreceptor denervation. In control animals without CI, sympathetic activity in response to brief elevation of intracranial pressure (ICP) showed a well-repeatable two-phase reaction. During CI there was a progressive deterioration of background sympathetic nerve discharge (SND) over a period of 30 min. SND response to repeated elevation of ICP was initially similar to control response but later with progression of CI was seriously changed. 1) Instead of the usual hyperactivation, sympathetic nerve activity was depressed during intracranial hypertension. 2) The characteristic desynchronized activity either appeared later during the reperfusion period or remained absent. The progressive loss of SND response to raised ICP in developed CI was compared with the changes seen in experiments in which repeated ICP elevations were superimposed on asphyxia. These findings suggest that the sympathetic component of the Cushing reaction strongly depends on the actual state of brain stem autonomic circuits and may be seriously altered in pathological situations involving ischemic brain injury.

Animals↗

Autotransplantation of superior cervical ganglion to the caudate nucleus in three patients with Parkinson's disease (preliminary report).

Striatal cervical ganglionic implants have been utilized for the first time for treatment of three patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. Tissue grafts from the superior cervical ganglion have been dissected and immediately transplanted into the head of the caudate nucleus. The grafted tissue placed in a cavity of the caudate nucleus remains in contact with the cerebrospinal fluid in the lateral ventricle. Three and six months after surgery, none of the patients has had any major complications and their lower score of Unified Parkinsonism Rating Scale (UPRS) points was associated with an improvement of the signs of Parkinson's disease. Present data have provided some optimism that grafting of superior cervical ganglion is a feasible approach in Parkinson's disease.

Caudate Nucleus↗

Comparison of methods eliciting cerebral ischaemic pressor response in the cat.

Three methods of intercepting the blood supply to the brain were tested by means of X-ray angiography and by monitoring the pressor response following cerebral ischaemia. The methods were: (1) occlusion of carotid and basilar artery; (2) occlusion of carotids and vertebral arteries in the cervical canal of the third vertebra; (3) occlusion of carotid and subclavian arteries. The X-ray angiographs showed that in most cases we could close the accessory sources of the cerebral circulation and drastically reduce the blood supply to the brain of the cat. With all three methods the cerebral ischaemia evoked strong blood pressor elevation, which was weaker however when the carotid and basilar artery were clamped, in comparison with the other two methods. This may be explained by the existence of small arteries supplying the lower brain stem and originating intracranially from the vertebral artery near to the junction of the vertebral and anterior spinal artery.

Animals↗

Two-phase change of sympathetic rhythms in brain ischemia, Cushing reaction, and asphyxia.

The present study was designed to determine the extent to which the brain stem neural networks, normally capable of synchronizing the sympathetic nerve discharge (SND) into 2- to 6- and 10-Hz rhythmic fluctuations, contribute to the control of autonomic reactions during brain hypoxia and/or hypercapnia. Vertebral, cardiac, and renal nerve discharges were recorded electrophysiologically in 34 anesthetized, curarized, and artificially ventilated cats. The sympathetic nerve responses to cerebral ischemia (elicited by reducing the blood supply to the brain), intracranial pressure elevation (Cushing reaction), and systemic asphyxia were tested with special focus on the rhythmic structure of the SND. It has been found that there are two phases of SND changes during cerebral ischemia differing mainly in the frequency content of the signals and less in the compound action potential amplitude. During the first phase the rhythmic generators controlling the tonic sympathetic outflow are more strongly activated, which is reflected in a stronger, more regular, and more widespread manifestation of these rhythms on the efferent neurograms. After some time the normal SND structure abruptly changes to a desynchronized activity with loss of the three main sympathetic rhythms and responsiveness to baroreceptor reflex activation. The same stereotyped changes can be observed regardless of the way in which the brain hypoxia and/or hypercapnia has been produced. Nor does the denervation of peripheral baro- and chemoreceptors substantially alter the general pattern of the responses.

Animals↗

Separation of the tumor and brain surface by "water jet" in cases of meningiomas.

In the surgery of meningiomas one of the most delicate problems is the separation of the tumor from the brain surface. The authors generally recommend microsurgery to preserve the brain surface anatomically and functionally. For this purpose we have developed a new surgical technique according to our concepts of tissue care. After excavating the tumor from inside the tumor brain surface was separated by repeated "water jets" into the tumor arachnoideal space. The "water jet" was produced by an ordinary bulb syringe. The front pressure of the jets was 300-1000 mm of water and the side pressure 100-300 mm of water. In the tumor-arachnoideal space the spreading water (phys. NaCl) separates the brain from the tumor with utmost care. We operated on 55 meningiomas of different types with the "water jet" technique. The immediate results were anatomically excellent. Intraoperative and postoperative acute and late edemas appeared only in a few cases. The functions of the nearby brain were generally preserved. The surgery was uneventful when the tumor surface was smooth and the tumor was spherical. When the tumor surface was uneven, one part of the tumor extended under the dura as a thin layer or the tumor was multilobulated with expanded vessels between the lobules, more microseparation was necessary. We compared the results of the "water jet" technique with the results of the "pre-water jet" series. The surgery with the "water jet" technique was much shorter and its results were better than those of microsurgery alone.

Brain↗

Blood flow and autoregulation in rat pituitary gland.

The authors describe an experimental model that allows dynamic studies of blood flow in the pituitary gland. Twenty-eight male Wistar rats were anesthetized and the pituitary gland was exposed using a parapharyngeal approach. Teflon-coated platinum wire electrodes were placed in the adenohypophysis near the midline and laterally as well as in the parietal cortex and the white matter. Blood flows were measured by the hydrogen clearance method. Baseline values were as follows: 89.9 +/- 22 ml/100 gm/min in the medial adenohypophysis, 55.9 +/- 8 ml/100 gm/min in the lateral adenohypophysis, 59.2 +/- 14 ml/100 gm/min in the parietal cortex, and 28.1 +/- 8.9 ml/100 gm/min in the white matter. Effective autoregulation was demonstrated by altering the blood pressure with metaraminol infusion or blood withdrawal. The range of autoregulation was wider in the adenohypophysis than in the cerebral cortex.

Animals↗

Reduction of blood flow in the adenohypophysis of rats by bromocriptine.

The possibility that bromocriptine has a selective effect on blood flow in the adenohypophysis was examined in rats. Twenty-four anesthetized male Wistar rats underwent measurement of blood flow using the hydrogen clearance method. Intravenous injection of 50 micrograms/kg bromocriptine reduced the blood flow in both the medial and lateral parts of the adenohypophysis to about 70% of the baseline value. Simultaneously measured cerebral cortical and white matter flows were unchanged. Similar results were obtained following administration of a higher dose (500 micrograms/kg) of bromocriptine. This phenomenon cannot be attributed to the decrease in blood pressure. The course of change in blood flow in the medial and lateral adenohypophysis did not follow that of the mean arterial blood pressure, and the alteration of blood pressure remained within the limits of autoregulation in the adenohypophysis. The results indicate that bromocriptine is capable of reducing blood flow selectively in the pituitary region. This mechanism may contribute to the clinical usefulness of this drug.

Animals↗

Effect of supratentorial space-occupying lesions on regional intracranial pressure and local cerebral blood flow: an experimental study in baboons.

Cortical blood flow and epidural intracranial pressure have been measured in the two supratentorial compartments of the intracranial space in experimental baboons during the acute expansion of a parieto-occipital epidural balloon. Differential pressures between the two halves of the supratentorial space have been found, and these have been associated with evidence that flow has fallen more quickly in the hemisphere most compressed. The evidence points to a more rapid exhaustion of the autoregulatory capacity in the hemisphere subjected to greater compression, a fall in perfusion pressure to below critical autoregulatory levels occurring slightly before that in the opposite hemisphere, and the establishment of a differential flow pattern for a short time during a critical phase of compression. The displacements induced by inflation of the parieto-occipital balloon have been described.

Animals↗

In vitro assessment of MR relaxation properties of pituitary adenomas.

Proton magnetic relaxation times (T1 and T2) and bound water content were measured in vitro in pituitary adenomas from 15 patients using 90 MHz radiofrequency excitation. These data were compared with those measured in normal pituitary glands obtained from four cats and seven fresh human cadavers. The T1 and T2 measured at 24 degrees C in the tumors (mean +/- SD: 1,170 +/- 80 and 123 +/- 35 ms, respectively) were significantly higher than those of cadaver pituitary (830 +/- 200 and 76 +/- 12 ms) and cat pituitary gland (790 +/- 120 and 69 +/- 10 ms). Although the absolute values were lower, similar differences were present in T1 measured at 4 degrees C. Two-dimensional T2 versus T1 plot was particularly helpful in distinguishing tumor from the normal gland. When tumors were grouped according to density on CT, histology or previous treatment (e.g., irradiation or bromocriptine), there were no significant differences in T1 values between the groups. Bound water content was not found to correlate with T1 or T2 values. We concluded that pituitary adenomas can be distinguished from normal pituitary glands by their different relaxation properties when measured at high frequency in vitro MR.

Adenoma↗